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'Happy People: A Year in the Taiga' review: Herzog in Siberia is one snow job that's legit

Pioneer Press

Posted:
02/14/2013 12:01:00 AM CST

Updated:
02/14/2013 11:01:31 PM CST

"Happy People: A Year in the Taiga"

A snowy image of the titular settlement of "Happy People: A Year in the Taiga" looks just like a Currier and Ives print, which is appropriate because life in the Taiga is much like it was more than 100 years ago, in the time of Currier and Ives.

Werner Herzog's documentary spends most of its time with the hunters and trappers of the Siberian village, who still ply their trade much as their ancestors did -- with the help of a chainsaw or two. Speaking of their crudely effective traps, for instance, one man says, "So many centuries have passed, but we still use them, unable to invent something new."

The film spends scant time with the women of the Taiga, but watching the dirt-encrusted men and their hardworking dogs go about their very different lives, it's easy to slide into thinking you're watching really committed historical re-enactors.

The title "Happy People" is largely ironic. The Taigans mostly seem content, but there's not a lot of happiness on display, and there are allusions to some significant vodka problems.

Or maybe Herzog means that we're the happy people. As his camera lingers over gorgeous, snow-covered landscapes peopled with dedicated hunters who must spend most of their time away from their loved ones, many viewers will count their blessings that they're not chained to this tough, unforgiving life.

-- Chris Hewitt

"HAPPY PEOPLE: A YEAR IN THE TAIGA"

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Rated: Not rated, but contains no objectionable material

Should you go? Herzog, who also made "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," continues his streak of well-crafted documentaries with surprising subjects.